EL CORAZON DEVELOPMENT MIGHT HINGE ON PUBLIC FUNDING

City manager says scope of project on old sand mine will require new revenue sources

Oceanside’s ability to fully develop a 465-acre former sand mine in the heart of the city into a massive public park, sports complex and commercial center may hinge on the public’s willingness to help pay for it, city officials say.

“If you want El Corazon and you want all of the recreational facilities, the meandering roads and the infrastructure, somewhere someone needs to pay for it,” City Manager Peter Weiss said in an interview last week. “If we as a community are not willing to put some money in it now, we have to lower everybody’s expectations and say it’s not going to happen for the foreseeable future.”

Weiss said he will ask the City Council on Wednesday to allocate $22,000 to update a 2009 study that outlined the costs of public improvements planned for El Corazon and what it would take to pay for them.

He said he will also ask the council to agree in principle to go to the public at a later date with proposals for how to raise the money.

Those proposals could include a temporary sales tax increase or a temporary citywide property tax assessment.

Mayor Jim Wood told the city Economic Development Commission recently that he’d support a temporary sales tax hike to pay for the improvements, but any talk of raising taxes or imposing fees has been opposed by the three-member council majority of Gary Felien, Jerry Kern and Jack Feller.

Felien said Wednesday that he’s not familiar with the 2009 study for El Corazon, but that he thought no public money was required to develop the property.

“In terms of any general tax increases or things like that, I don’t see that going forward,” Felien said. “Generally speaking, I’ve not been in favor of any tax increases of any kind.”

Diane Nygaard of Friends of El Corazon said it’s too soon to ask the council to make any commitments on how to pay for public improvements at El Corazon.

“There’s any number of ways this could be done,” Nygaard said. “If I was sitting in their seats, I don’t think I’d be ready to make a decision.”

Nygaard said the city first must update it park-impact fees, which are levied on new developments to help fund the cost of creating needed parks and recreational spaces. Oceanside hasn’t updated its fees since 1995, she said.

The 2009 study by Willdan Financial Services pegged the cost of public improvements envisioned for El Corazon at $172.4 million.

That included $88.1 million to grade the site; $13.3 million to provide water and sewer services; $42 million for nine smaller parks within El Corazon; $8 million for a community center; $15 million for an aquatic center; $1.7 million for a skate park; and $528,000 for nature trails.

Part of those costs would be covered by fees that developers pay to build in the area, but the 2009 study said the city would need to come up with an additional $140 million.

“The development fees alone are not going to be enough to build major portions of El Corazon,” Weiss said.